Developing a Multi-Center Research Study: a Doctoral Student's Perspective
Susan M. Matthews, MSN, Bluegrass Regional Healthcare, Beaver Dam, KY, USA
The purpose of this presentation is to examine the role of the doctoral student as the principal investigator in conducting multi-center research. The thought of conducting a multi-center study can be overwhelming and may be rejected by the student and dissertation committee members. When developing a multi-center research study, doctoral students must overcome challenges such as, time constraints, budget constraints, and recruitment problems. However, the benefits of conducting multi-center research as a doctoral student far outweigh these challenges. In this presentation, a current doctoral student conducting a multi-center study, will describe the development of the study, the personal and professional benefits, and how barriers were overcome. The title of the study is “The Effect of Perceived Communication Self-Efficacy, Satisfaction With Treatment and Attitudes Toward Diabetes on Glycemic Control.” Understanding the effect of patient-provider communication on glycemic control, will allow healthcare providers to address barriers to management and concerns of the diabetic patient to develop treatment plans accordingly. Five sites from New Jersey and Kentucky are participating in subject recruitment and data collection. The following issues will be highlighted: 1) selling your dissertation committee on a multi-center study; 2) recruiting co-investigators and sites; 3) steps for obtaining IRB approval for a multi-center study; 4) dealing with site attrition; 5) long-distance communication between investigators; 6) funding; 7) confidentiality and methods of data delivery; 8) publication and authorship; and finally 9) maintaining sanity among chaos.